Cassi merely smiled. She took out a scroll and placed it on the table. As the administrator, Locke obviously had to go and pick it up. He read it aloud for everyone's benefit.

"I Baron Mith abdicate my title. The inheritance of my title shall be decided with the agreement of the holder of my power of attorney." Locke read it aloud.

"What?" Trive said in shock. "But father had said..."

"That we kids will decide amongst ourselves who will be the next heir." Jain said nonchalantly.

"The inheritance shall be decided with the agreement with the holder of the power of attorney? He never left me any such document!" Trive said in visible confusion.

"Ofcourse he didn't. He never trusted a wastrel like you to do anything of substance." Cassi said.

Locke sighed. He had expected an argument to break out over the inheritance, yet the Baron had eventually made a move out of his control. He had wanted to be the ruler from behind the scenes, but now everything was a mess.

"So who is the holder of the power of attorney?" Trive asked angrily.

Finally the time had come for Locke to speak. He had no maneuverability left.

"I am the one with the power of attorney." He said calmly.

"You? You! How's it possible? You're just a bastard!" Trive exploded in anger. His father had tricked him, but then he thought about it. Even though Locke had a power of attorney, he never used it. In fact he complied with Trive's rule.

"So, father's wish will now be completed fair and square." Cassi said authoritatively. 

Trive felt like he had suddenly deflated. However, he still was confident that with the friendship of all these Nobles he could pressure these two to surrender the title to him.

"We will put it to a vote among us siblings." Cassi said before turning to Jain. "I agree." He replied while his eyes were constantly glaring at Trive. "Or the other option is a battle to the death. Which do you prefer?"

Jain's bloodthirsty eyes scared Trive. For the first time, he felt vulnerable. He turned towards his only perceived ally and suddenly the most powerful player in this endeavour.

Locke shrugged. "I am only an observer in this matter. The method has to be decided by the children of the Baron." He said.

"Yes." Cassi replied. "But you too are one of the involved party as the Baron's son."

Locke was momentarily stunned. Then he sighed as if making a difficult decision. "A vote then."

"What about you?" Jain asked Trive again.

"...A vote." Trive replied, exhaustion suddenly looming over his face.

Locke suddenly assumed a more official role. "Let us organize the vote then. First Jain, then Cassi followed by Trive...followed by myself." 

Jain nodded. The arrangement had been made by age. He had no problems with that. Either way, these months of turmoil in his heart had already told him what his true desire was.

"I have no interest in becoming the Baron. After this, I will join the Military. Today, I see only one person who can satisfactorily protect the Barony's interests and that is Locke. I nominate him." Jain calmly said his piece.

Trive grit his teeth. "Are you crazy? If you don't want to be the Baron, why are you making it difficult for all of us? Why are you trying to put me down?"

"Because a rapist and murderer wastrel like you is unsuited to be the Baron!" Jain roared.

Trive paled when he heard the one word he didn't want to hear.

"Heh, did you think people would forget everything in the chaos? You can blame others for the chaos that took place, but the real source was you! An ungrateful ass!" Jain spat.

Locke intervened and pointed to Cassi to let her nominate her choice. 

"I too have little interest in running a Barony. Administrative tasks are not my forte, nor the best use of my time. I only wish to devote my time to the study of magic. The measly resources of a Barony are not enough to tempt me, as Trive foolishly accused earlier. The choice about who should run the Barony has been clear to me from the moment I returned. With Jain having decided to join the army I have even fewer reservations. I nominate Locke to be the next Baron!" Cassi passionately explained herself.

"Have you two gone crazy?" Trive was acting deranged now.

"No. Unlike you, we can think beyond our own personal selfish goals for the greater good of the Barony. I'd rather have a dog as the Baron with Locke as the administrator before I allow you to take the title!" Cassi shot back with disgust.

Locke was internally stunned. He had been slowly working on Jain. He had not expected it to pay out in such a dramatic way, but he had genuinely suspected Cassi to use the Barony to supplement her. After all, he had learned that becoming a mage was an expensive endeavour. In the end she had voted for him. This completely changed everything. All those plans, all those schemes had been rendered for nought.

Without waiting for Locke to say anything, Trive obviously voted for himself. "During my control, it should be obvious how professionally the Barony has been handled. I think I am the best suited for the job. You two have voted Locke, but unfortunately, he is only an illicit child and cannot inherit the title. It was stupid of you to void your vote like that." He laughed.

Cassi smiled. She took out another scroll and threw it at Trive. When he read it, he lost the little remaining color on his face. "The old man has gone senile!" He screamed.

"The Baron has declared that henceforth, Locke will receive the Noble name Mith. He has been accepted as a legal heir." Cassi calmly said.

All three siblings then turned towards Locke. "I choose to abstain from the vote, to maintain my neutrality as the arbiter." He said calmly.

"Neutrality my ass! You are already leading!" Trive suddenly screamed at Locke. However, Locke showed no fluctuations in his emotions at all.

"Then it's been decided. The witnesses are Grand Knight August Bilary, and the various Baron's of the Bilary Viscounty." Cassi also calmed down and said seriously. "Locke Mith is the new Baron of Mith."